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America in the 1800's
As the new Nation moved into the 19th Century many changes were to come.
It would not be until the War of 1812 that the Revolution was completed.
The War of 1812 was, in a sense, a second war of independence.
R Until the War of 1812 was completed America had not been seen as equal to the older Countries in Europe.
Many of the problems the new American Government had faced since the Revolution disappeared.
The new Constitution brought a balance between liberty and order.
America had a low national debt and a continent awaiting exploration.
The prospect of peace, prosperity and growth were there.
Business and Commerce or Trade were creating a strong national unity.
The role of women in the new economy was considerable. We will review in a seperate unit the role and work of Women in building the new American Banking and Economic System.
The war of 1812 has caused a lot of shortages for Americans. Blockades and the needs of war left the civilian population convinced of the importance of protecting American Farms and Factories of until the new Government and Economy could stand alone against foreign competition.
Economic independence, from England and Europe, was as essential to the new Country as Democracy.
Congressional leaders Henry Clay of Kentucky and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina worked to establish a policy of protectionism to help protect American
businesses.
Protectionism meant the imposition of restrictions on imported goods to foster the development of American industry as a competitive part of world economy.
Raising the customs tariff was essential.
The shepherds of Vermont and Ohio wanted protection against an influx of English wool. In Kentucky, a new industry of weaving local hemp into cotton bagging was threatened by the Scottish bagging industry. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, already a flourishing center of iron smelting, was eager to challenge British and Swedish iron suppliers. The tariff enacted in 1816 imposed duties high enough to give manufacturers real protection. In addition, Westerners advocated a national system of roads and canals to link them with Eastern cities and ports, and to open frontier lands for settlement. However, they were unsuccessful in pressing their demands for a federal role in internal improvement because of opposition from New England and the South. Roads and canals remained the province of the states until the passage of the Federal Highways Act of 1916.
The position of the federal government at this time was greatly strengthened by several Supreme Court decisions. A committed
Federalist,
John Marshall of Virginia, became chief justice in 1801 and held office
until his death in 1835. The court -- weak before his administration --
was transformed into a powerful tribunal, occupying a position co-equal
to the Congress and the president. In a succession of historic decisions,
Marshall never deviated from one cardinal principle: upholding the sovereignty
of the Constitution. Marshall was the first in a long line of Supreme Court justices whose decisions have molded the meaning and application of the Constitution.
When he finished his long service, the court had decided nearly 50 cases clearly involving constitutional issues.
In one of Marshall's most famous opinions -- Marbury v. Madison (1803) -- he decisively established the right of the Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of any law of Congress or of a state legislature. In McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), which dealt with the old question of the implied powers of the government under the Constitution, he stood boldly in defense of the Hamiltonian theory that the Constitution by implication gives the government powers beyond those expressly stated.
Our next unit will begin to explort Slavery and the big changes to come in America as we approach mid-century.